I believe I have already mentioned that shortly after we first entered the Murray, flocks of a new paroquet passed over our heads, apparently emigrating to the N.W.  They always kept too high to be fired at, but on our return, hereabouts, we succeeded in killing one.  It made a good addition to our scanty stock of subjects of natural history.  It is impossible to conceive how few of the feathered tribe frequent these distant and lonely regions.  The common white cockatoo is the most numerous, and there are also a few pigeons; but other birds descend only for water, and are soon again upon the wing.  Our botanical specimens were as scanty as our zoological, indeed the expedition may, as regards these two particulars, almost be said to have been unproductive.

Compilation of the chart.

When we came down the river, I thought it advisable to lay its course down as precisely as circumstances would permit:  for for this purpose I had a large compass always before me, and a sheet of foolscap paper.  As soon as we passed an angle of the river, I took the bearings of the reach before us, and as we proceeded down it, marked off the description of country, and any remarkable feature.  The consequence was, that I laid down every bend of the Murray River, from the Morumbidgee downwards.  Its creeks, its tributaries, its flats, its valleys, and its cliffs, and, as far as I possibly could do, the nature of the distant interior.  This chart was, of course, erroneous in many particulars, since I had to judge the length of the reaches of the river, and the extent of its angles, but I corrected it on the scale of the miles of latitude we made during the day, which brought out an approximate truth at all events.  The hurried nature of our journey would not allow me to do more; and it will be remembered that my observations were all siderial, by reason that the sextant would not embrace the sun in his almost vertical position at noon.  Admitting, however, the imperfection of this chart, it was of inconceivable value and comfort to us on our return, for, by a reference to it, we discovered our place upon the river, and our distance from our several encampments.  And we should often have stopped short of them had not the chart shown us that a few reaches more would bring us to the desired spots.  It cheered the men to know where they were, and gave them conversation.  To myself it was very satisfactory, as it enabled me to prepare for our meetings with the larger tribes, and to steer clear of obstacles in the more difficult navigation of some parts of the stream.

On the 21st, by dint of great labour we reached our camp of the 2nd February, from which it will be remembered the Murray took up a southerly course, and from which we likewise obtained a first view of the coast ranges.  The journey to the sea and back again, had consequently occupied us twenty days.  From this point we turned our boat’s head homewards; we made it, therefore, a fixed position among the stages into which we divided our journey.  Our attention was now directed to the junction of the principal tributary, which we hoped to reach in twelve days, and anticipated a close to our labours on the Murray in eight days more from that stage to the Morumbidgee.